History Browser

Warfare in the 19th century was horrible, despite the colourful uniforms. In the aftermath of the November 1837 battle of Saint-Charles, a British officer helped two young Canadian women to find their Patriote father. His corpse was found, frozen and contorted, with a horrible head wound.

With Patriote forces at Saint-Eustache beaten in December 1837, British regulars and loyalist volunteers sacked the town, burning and looting. In the days following the battle, two other towns were burned, and undisciplined volunteers pillaged the surrounding countryside.

The second engagement of the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837 saw British troops crush a gathering of Les Patriotes at Saint-Charles. When some rebels pretended to surrender and then opened fire again, the troops bayoneted many of them and then burned the village.